Q&A: Present on admission claims and the "U" indicator
CDI Strategies, January 24, 2008
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to CDI Strategies!
Q: We understand that codes that do not include a present-on-admission (POA) indicator will be returned to us as of April. Will CMS return claims that include a code for which we report a POA indicator of "U"? Or will CMS only return claims that include a blank POA field?
A: According to CMS' publications, as of April, it will only return those claims that do not include a POA indicator. If your system is set up to require a POA indicator for each diagnosis, you shouldn't have a problem.
Regarding the "U" indicator, CMS does state that the provider must resolve issues related to inconsistent, missing, conflicting, or unclear documentation. I interpret this as meaning that you should clarify insufficient documentation. If you clarify your documentation through physician queries, you should assign a very limited number of U indicators.
Editor's note: Sandy Nicholson, MA, RHIA, CCS-P, CEO of HCRSolutions, LLC, in Locust Grove, GA, answered this question.
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to CDI Strategies!
Comments
0 comments on “Q&A: Present on admission claims and the "U" indicator ”
Related Products
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- Catch up on what's new with injections and infusions
- Identify potential Medicaid RAC target areas
- HIPAA Q&A: Level of encryption needed for email
- Topic: CMS, OESS post new security compliance review information, checklist
- Capturing all necessary codes for IUD insertion and removal can be challenging
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- OB services: Coding inside and outside of the package
- QA:Coding multiple initial infusions
- E-mailed
-
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- HIPAA Q&A: Level of encryption needed for email
- Q&A: Follow CMS' coding guidelines when using modifier -25
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- Catch up on what's new with injections and infusions
- CMS has reformulated payments for some bilateral procedures
- New conflicts of interest create new challenges
- Q/A. One injection code or two?
- ED-to-inpatient transfers are flawed with safety gaps
- Searched